(Photo: Chicago Sun-Times)
Police are ramping up their investigation into the actions of a Chicago man who shot and killed three people he claims were attempting to break into his home.
“We have noticed inconsistencies in his story and detectives are continuing to investigate,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Monday morning.
“We’re in the middle of the interrogation,” Guglielmi said, noting that he could not share any additional details. “We’re pressing pretty hard.”
The man, who police have yet to identify, shot and killed three people around 5:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon: 17-year-old Antonio Lopez, 22-year-old Narcisco Ledesma and an unidentified 24-year-old woman, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The man claims the three individuals broke into the basement of a home he shares with his parents. The man shot each intruder multiple times before locking himself in a room and calling the police.
Asked whether the intruders were armed, Guglielmi said the police only recovered one weapon at the scene.
According to initial reports, the police at first believed the shooting to be self-defense and no charges were expected to be filed. The man owned the gun legally and possessed a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card. Further investigation, however, has revealed more cause for concern.
The man hired an attorney on Monday afternoon, though no charges have officially been filed.
“I passed by and I had seen all the police in front of his house, so I went and parked my truck down the block and I walked over here with my girlfriend and I told her I know something is bad because they’re all in front of his house,” Havi Real, a friend of the homeowner, told local media.
Real also told reporters that there had been a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood.
“There have been a lot of home invasions in the area,” Real said. “It really doesn’t come to me as a surprise. I’m just flabbergasted because it happened to one of my close friends.”
Chicago is known for both its draconian gun laws and its high crime rates. While property crimes have generally been on the decline since 2001, violent crime has held steady.
East Side, the neighborhood in which the shooting took place, ranks 53 in terms of violent crime and 70 in terms of property crime, as per the Chicago Tribune’s 30-day crime report. The report covers a total of 78 neighborhoods within the city’s community.
If some one is in a home and broke in to steal items and confronted shame on them. The home is a mans castle and those who violate this must see there maker, and then be judge by our lord.
Is it reasonable to assume, if there are no person associations between the intruders and the shooter, the shooter is likely telling the truth? Sure, these 3 individuals could have answered a Craigslist ad, but that should be relatively easy to establish.
What do I do?? wait on him to shoot me first before I take action??. Another thing, when I start shooting toward the outlaws everybody coming my way will be shot. A proper Investigation should solve the whole case. These guy’s get paid to be Investigators, let them do what they get paid to do, they should have a lot of experience, they should get to the bottom of it. But, at the time of the crime, If I see one gun, I might as well seen a guns in ean of their hands, so i will not ask the others if they have guns. Most Gun owners, that have them legally. have common knowledge. I’ll just have to explain it to the judge or they won’t file charges
Chicago. One of those places I would not live if you paid me.
Idiots in charge of the government, idiots committing crime on the streets, idiots in between who haven’t dealt with either of the aforementioned groups of idiots.
I’m so grateful I live where common sense is still relatively common: Arkansas.
Sorry guys, please go back and read what is said. The Police are concerned that the guy might be lying about the whole thing. Yes it sounds odd, but the cops have to have an open mind. One minute we support cops, and the next we don’t. It seems to depend on which way the wind is blowing…………………………………. Have An Open Mind about everything and everybody.
Correct. Innocent until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This poor guy is going to be railroaded,scum break into your house they deserve to be shot! more dead criminals = less crime!
When it is three against one, Shooting one of them is not an option but a necessity because you can “NOT” fight three people at one time.
If the two others run, just let them go.
If they come at you, Fire to kill them both.
If you live in New York City (((SHOOT YOUR SELF))) because you don’t stand a chance of not being convicted of murder.
What difference does it make if they were armed or not?
Don’t they have a Castle Doctrine law in that State?
If a group of people broke into my home and I confronted them and one of them pulled a gun, I’d shoot to kill. I would not shoot the others unless they tried to attack me. At that point any attempt to harm me has to be seen as a life and death situation, armed at not.
You best have nerves of steel then, especially if your going to wait to see their next move.
I know the only legal justification here is if the man thought his life was in danger. Still, in my mind, if those people were burglarizing the house then I don’t care about the legalities, just what is just. Americans should be allowed to protect their property with deadly force.
In any state that has adopted some sort of castle doctrine, the owner is. California does not have a castle doctrine statute, but it does have a judicially recognized presumption of lawful self defense if anyone enters your home forcibly and without permission. If Illinois has such a presumption, the prosecutor will have to show that the defendant was not acting in lawful self-defense. I suspect that part of the police’s suspicion is because the dude (very wisely) retained counsel.